The invention relates to a device for automatically supplying a predetermined amount of at least one sort of feed to an animal in a period having a predetermined length according to the preamble of claim 1.
Such a device is known per se.
It is an object of the invention to provide a device for automatically supplying a predetermined amount of at least one sort of feed to an animal in a period having a predetermined length, by means of which the supply of feed over said predetermined period, for example one day or the period defined by the visit of a predetermined number of animals (for example 40) to the feeding parlour, takes place efficiently. Hereby is meant inter alia that no unnecessary waste of feed occurs, while sufficient nutritive substances are supplied to the animal.
According to the invention, for that purpose a device of the above-described type comprises the measures of the characterizing part of claim 1. Due to this there is supplied to an animal a feed balance which depends on, preferably is proportional to, the sub-period which has elapsed since the last feeding of the animal. This makes it possible for the animal to obtain a uniform supply of feed, which appears to be extremely efficient.
In an embodiment of a device according to the invention, the device is suitable for automatically supplying the predetermined amount of at least one sort of feed in a period of time having a predetermined length, the computer being provided with a clock for determining per animal the point of time of supply of feed, the computer being suitable for determining the sub-period as being the time interval between the last supply of feed to an animal and the momentary point of time when the animal is identified by the animal identification means at the feeding parlour.
An embodiment of a device according to the invention is characterized in that the computer is provided with a memory in which are stored correspondence tables containing the size of the feed balance per animal per sub-period. This makes it possible to determine in a simple manner the feed balance belonging to a determined sub-period.
Alternatively or additionally the computer may be provided with a calculating device for making a division of the predetermined amount of sort of feed by the predetermined period resulting in a sort-of-feed quotient, and in that the calculating device determines the product of the sub-period and the sort-of-feed quotient resulting in the feed balance. Due to this the memory capacity can remain limited.
It is possible to supply the feed balance to the animal in one time. However, this has the disadvantage that it may happen that an animal cannot eat up the entire feed balance, for example due to the fact that it is jostled from the feeding parlour by another animal. Accordingly, in an embodiment of a device according to the invention, the computer controls the device in such a way that the feed balance is supplied to the animal in feed portions. When a feed portion is not eaten up by the relevant animal, the computer is capable of controlling the relevant components in such a way that no possible further feed portions are supplied.
Depending on the measurement accuracy of the relevant device it is preferred when a feed portion has at least a minimum feed portion size. As a result thereof measurement errors in the case of too small portion sizes, which may result in an inaccurate feeding, are at least avoided to it considerable extent.
Although the feed portion size may have a previously adjusted value, it is preferred when the calculating device of the computer calculates a calculated feed portion size of the feed portions. As a result thereof the feed portion size can be adjusted per animal and possibly depending on the prevailing circumstances. It appears to be extremely suitable when the calculated feed portion size is approximately 5% of the feed balance.
In order not to discourage an animal to come to the feeding parlour, in an embodiment of a device according to the invention, the computer is provided with a comparing device for comparing the calculated feed portion size with the minimum feed portion size, while, when the comparison result indicates that the calculated feed portion size is smaller than the minimum feed portion size, the computer controls the device in such a way that one minimum feed portion size is supplied to the animal. Thus there is always supplied a minimum feed portion to the animal.
Depending on grazing and/or, when the animal is a dairy animal, depending on the last time the dairy animal has been milked or the time when it is expected to be milked again, the animal should not be fed. In an embodiment of a device according to the invention, this is realised in that there is included a blocking time in the memory, the computer only controlling the device for supplying a sort of feed to the animal after, counted from the last point of time of supply of feed to the animal, the blocking time has elapsed. Said blocking time may have a fixed value or be dynamic, i.e. variable.
In order to be able to check whether the animal actually visits the feeding parlour for eating, when an animal is identified by the animal identification means at the feeding parlour, the computer controls the device in such a way that first one minimum feed portion size is supplied to the animal. When the animal leaves the feeding parlour after the supply of said feed portion, no further portions are supplied. This has also the advantage that an animal can eat immediately and has not to wait too long until the relevant feed has been composed.
In a further embodiment of a device according to the invention, there is included in a memory of the computer a minimum and a maximum for the amount of a sort of feed to be supplied. The minimum may also be a negative value, so that an animal can actually consume more of the sort of feed than determined by the predetermined amount for that predetermined period. The maximum may have a very high value, which implies that a sort of feed can be supplied to a substantially unlimited extent. The latter may for example be the case for a sort of feed constituting a so-called calming component, such as for example ensilaged grass.
Also when an animal does not consume feed during its visit to the feeding parlour, it is advantageous when the computer stores the points of time when an animal leaves the feeding parlour in the memory. Said points of time may be used for (example for behavioural study, but may also be an indication about the state of health of the animal.
In a further embodiment of a device according to the invention, the device is provided with measuring means for measuring the weight of the feed in the feeding parlour. This makes it possible to determine the amount of a sort of feed consumed by an animal. The measuring means may comprise a weighing device for weighing the amount of feed in the feeding parlour, although other means, such as picture recognition equipment, may also be applied. It is then also possible that the computer stores data in relation to the amount of remaining feed in a feed trough in the memory The calculating device can take this value for the remaining feed into account when determining the feed balance. The feed balance is in particular determined as being the product of the sub-period and the sort-of-feed quotient, which product is reduced by the amount of remaining feed.
In order to take remaining feed present in a feeding parlour further into account, in an embodiment of a device according to the invention, the computer is provided with a comparing device for comparing the amount of remaining feed with a minimum threshold value, the computer only controlling the device for supplying feed in the feeding parlour when the comparison indicates that the amount of remaining feed is below the minimum threshold value.
The device is preferably suitable for automatically supplying several sorts of feed to an animal in a predetermined period. The device may then be provided with a mixing device for mixing the sorts of feed before these sorts of feed are supplied to the feed trough. Alternatively the computer controls the device in such a way that at least one (preferably all) sort(s) of feed is/are supplied at least substantially separately from the other sorts of feed (from each other) to the feeding parlour.
In an embodiment of a device according to the invention, when the comparison result indicates that the calculated feed portion size for a particular sort of feed is smaller than the minimum feed portion size for that sort of feed, the computer controls the device in such a way that one minimum feed portion size composed of the other sorts of feed is supplied to the animal. The lacking sort of feed can then be supplied at a next visit of the animal to the feeding parlour, at least if the minimum portion size is then exceeded.
In order immediately to supply feed to an animal reporting for the first time at a feeding parlour of a device provided with several feeding parlours, the computer controls the device in such a way that first feed is supplied to that feeding parlour where an animal has been identified most recently by the animal identification means.
The device according to the invention is preferably provided with at least one milking box with a milking robot for automatically milking a dairy animal, the milking box being provided with a feeding station with a feed trough. Alternatively or additionally the device is provided with at least one feeding column (placed outside the milking box) with a feet trough. When the device comprises at least one milking box and at least one feeding column, the computer in particular controls the collective supply of feed by the feeding station(s) and the feeding column(s) in such a way that the predetermined amount of feed is supplied to an animal in the predetermined period.
In a further embodiment of a device according to the invention, the feeding station respectively the feeding column is suitable for automatically supplying at least two sorts of feed, the device being provided with parameter-measuring means for measuring a momentary value of a variable parameter (animal-dependently or animal-independently) and for issuing a parameter value signal to the computer, the computer controlling the feeding station respectively the feeding column by means of a control signal in such a way that sorts of feed are supplied in a particular amount and in a particular ratio collectively respectively as a mixture, the computer being provided with a processing device for processing the parameter value signal into the control signal. This embodiment of a device according to the invention is based on the insight that the feed intake of the animals appears to depend on certain varying circumstances. Further, for example the amount and the quality of milk produced by a dairy animal appear to depend on certain varying circumstances. According to the invention this is improved by automatically measuring, with the aid of parameter-measuring means, the momentary value of such a circumstance, called the variable parameter, and by processing the corresponding parameter value signal into the control signal. Thus it is possible to take the change in the parameter Automatically into account when supplying feed. Moreover this can make it more attractive for an animal to consume more feed.
The parameter measuring means are in particular selected from the group composed of atmospheric-condition measuring means for measuring the atmospheric conditions, a clock for measuring the point of time of the day, a clock for measuring the period of the year, means for measuring the condition score of an animal, means for determining per animal the eating rate per sort of feed, means for measuring per animal the milk yield, means for measuring the amount of protein and/or fat and/or minerals and/or amino acids or the like in the milk obtained from that animal, and means for measuring the amount of a sort of feed consumed by an animal.
In an advantageous embodiment of a device according is to the invention, the feeding station respectively the feeding column is provided with a receptacle, the conveying means comprising a first conveyor for conveying an amount of feed from the hopper to the receptacle and a second conveyor for conveying the amount of feed from the receptacle to a feed trough. The receptacle is preferably provided with a weighing device for measuring feed present in the receptacle. This makes it possible to determine the amount of feed to be supplied to the feed trough.
Although the feed can be taken out of the receptacle by means of a separate taking-out device, for the sake of simplicity of the construction it is advantageous when there is not used a separate device for taking out. There may be used a tiltable receptacle, feed falling from said receptacle after the latter has been tilted. However, for improving the hygienic use of the feeding station respectively the feeding column, it is preferred when the receptacle has a bottom which is designed to be opened. The receptacle is preferably provided with a control device for controlling the opening of the bottom. It has appeared to be particularly suitable when the second conveyor is constituted by a tube-shaped chute respectively a channel-shaped chute.
In order to prevent that an animal keeps waiting at a feeding trough after having been fed, in an embodiment of a device according to the invention, the feed trough is constituted by a feed trough capable of being closed by a closing meals, the control device also being suitable for controlling the operation of the closing means.
The predetermined period, for example 24 hours or the period in which a particular number of animals has visited the feeding parlour, can be measured from a fixed point of time of the day, for example 0:00 AM. However, alternatively it is possible to distribute the amount of feed to be supplied over a so-called sliding window. Such a sliding window is preferably formed in that the predetermined period immediately precedes the momentary point of time when an animal is present at the feed trough.
In a further embodiment of a device according to the invention, the predetermined length of the period is animal-dependent and/or lactation-period-dependent and/or season-dependent and/or weather-dependent. As a result thereof an optimal supply of feed per animal can be obtained.